June 23, 2023

Caribou/Reindeer

This week's Musings from Main is inspired by a donation from one of the Friends' Board Members, Jane Robinson. It seems that Jane came across a caribou pelt at a tag sale in South Windsor. Realizing it would be a wonderful addition to Nowashe Village, she acquired it and generously donated it to the Friends' earlier this month. This Musing is a result of some of the research we conducted that will help us use this new addition to enhance our educational programming, It focuses on caribou and reindeer.

Thank You Jane Robinson!

Is that a Caribou or a Reindeer?

The answer...caribou and reindeer are the same, but different! They are the same species, both—Rangifer tarandus, but caribou are native to North America and reindeer are native to Eurasia. To make it even more confusing, in 1892, Reverend Doctor Sheldon Jackson introduced reindeer to Alaska from Siberia, so there are some reindeer herds living in North America, specifically Alaska.

Another similarity (and difference) is that all caribou are wild, but reindeer can be wild, or domesticated. There are also many subspecies of caribou and reindeer throughout the world. This means that although caribou and reindeer are generally similar, they can also differ in appearance because of variations in their native environments and diet, as well as a result of selective breeding in domesticated reindeer. It is thought that the stockier physique of reindeer is a result of their selective breeding.

Both caribou and reindeer are herbivores, meaning they eat only plants. They both have a shoulder height of 4-5 feet and weigh about 300-400 lbs for males and 150-200 lbs for females.  They have an average life span of 15 years in the wild. The Rangifer tarandus, is the only species of deer in which both the male and females have antlers, although they used them for different reasons.  The males tend to use them for fighting where as the females use them more for scraping away snow and defending their food as well as protecting their young.

The Same but Different!

According to the National Park Service Website below are some of the "same but different" characteristics of the caribou and reindeer found in Alaska.

-Caribou give birth to reddish-brown calves in late May or early June; Reindeer give birth to dark chocolate brown calves as early as mid-April.

-Caribou are wild and skittish around humans; Reindeer, in Alaska, are domesticated and are considered livestock and private property.

-Caribou are light brown and can produce white fur around their neck and underbelly; Reindeer come in a variety of colors from tawny, beige, white, brown, dark brown, and variations of all the above with spots.

-Caribou conduct some of the longest terrestrial migrations in the world; Domestic reindeer are bred to be less migratory.

Fascinating Facts

According to a 2019 study published in Scientific Reports, caribou have the longest land migration of any animal on earth. They have long, strong legs that can walk up to 23 miles a day and run over 30 miles an hour. Caribou can migrate over 745 miles round trip; to the north in the summer and back south in the winter. Somewhere  along their long journey they will probably encounter a body of water.

No problem, Caribou are great swimmers. They have wide, flat hooves that are hollow underneath. They use their hooves as paddles allowing them to swim up to 6 miles an hour.  Caribou also have two layers of fur, a thick wool underlayer and a longer, layer of hollow hairs on top. Their winter coat can be up to 3 inches thick! You would think this would weigh them down, but the top layer, that consists of hollow hairs, traps air not only between but inside the hairs.  This helps the caribou stay buoyant as well as acts like insulation, to keep them warm.

For 11,000 years the Nunamiut Iñupiat, who live in the inland mountains of Northern Alaska, have had an extremely close relationship with the caribou herds. The caribou, or tuttu as they call them, are their main source of food. They eat the meat and fat, of the tuttu (caribou) as well as make a broth from their meat and bones to drink. They use caribou skins for shelters, sleds, and snow shoes as well as for all sorts of clothing from boots to mittens, pants to parkas.  Historically this dependence on the caribou required a nomadic lifestyle, but in the middle of the twentieth century the Nunamiut Iñupiat settled into the village of Anaktuvuk Pass, located on the caribou migratory route.  

To this day, the Nunamiut Iñupiat continue to wear beautiful caribou skin clothing, and caribou meat is still an essential staple of their diet. They have created a new art form—the caribou skin mask. The tuttu (caribou) continues to be a symbol of their unique and enduring culture.

 Visit Nowashe Village this season and see our new caribou pelt in person.
Go to www.Nowashe.org
for a list of open times and dates as well as details on special activities

Learn More about Caribou and Reindeer by exploring these articles.

A-Z Animals-10 Incredible Caribou Facts

Canadian Geographic: Caribou are vanishing at an alarming rate. Is it too late to save them?

Confirmed! Caribou have the longest land migration in the world

Herd Inuit Voices on Caribou

National Park Service: What's the Difference: Reindeer vs. Caribou

National Geographic: Caribou (reindeer)

National Geographic: What color are reindeer eyes? Depends on the season.

National Park Service: Caribou and People